New START is a strategic offensive arms treaty that was agreed upon in 2010, aimed at reducing the nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia. As of now, the treaty no longer has any legal force, highlighting a significant blind spot in its ongoing relevance and enforcement.
“The new strategic arms reduction treaty or new start agreed in 2010 was the latest in that long line of agreements. It helped maintain strategic stability by providing for mutual inspections, the exchange of information, and capping the number of deployed nuclear delivery systems and warheads. And earlier this month, it ceased to exist. But with its final expiry without replacement, the world is now in a situation where for the first time since the early 1970s, there are now no legal constraints on the maximum size of the US and Russian nuclear arsenals.”
“The agreement no longer has any legal force, but the Russians have come out publicly and basically said, 'We'll keep sticking to the limits on things like deployed warheads and delivery systems as long as the US does as well.'”
“One arguable blind spot for New Start, for example, depending on the term you want to use, were tactical, non-strategic, or pre-strategic nuclear weapons. But the distinction in New Start was based on the delivery system. It regulated delivery and warheads for ICBMs, SLBMs, and heavy bombers. But that obviously leaves a very very wide definitional gap.”